The Giants’ agreement with John Harbaugh to become their next head coach was inside the 1-yard line and up to the lawyers to run a successful Tush Push.
A fan base itching to celebrate still was awaiting an official announcement as of 7:30 p.m. Thursday after The Post’s Paul Schwartz was first to report late Wednesday night that a deal was imminent.
Once the legalese is rubber-stamped, that franchise-changing contract is expected to come in around $100 million over five years, which would put the Super Bowl-winning Harbaugh in the conversation for highest-paid NFL coach and make his annual salary more than three times what the Giants are accustomed to paying.
Harbaugh, 63, canceled a meeting at his Baltimore-area home with Titans’ brass scheduled for Thursday morning and withdrew from the Falcons’ search — he previously had an exploratory phone conversation with new team president Matt Ryan — after his all-day Wednesday visit to the Giants answered all questions.
The only tweet from the Giants’ official account Thursday was a smirking face emoji as league circles buzzed with the news.
The Giants’ full-court press included an interview with co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch and high-ranking executives, a tour of the building, a one-on-one meeting with rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart and a lavish dinner at Elia Mediterranean capped by a celebratory bottle of a rare Silver Oak wine.
Chris Mara, John’s younger brother and a football-minded executive, also broke from his background position over the last few years and played a front-facing role in luring Harbaugh as John fights cancer.
Harbaugh flew to and from the interview on Tisch’s private plane, which is a stark contrast to candidates in years past boarding an Amtrak train or sitting in the middle seat on a coach flight.
Harbaugh and Giants management were huddled Thursday compiling names for assistant coach interviews.
The list of coaches tied to Harbaugh who are expected to get strong consideration include his Ravens coordinators Todd Monken (offensive) and Zach Orr (defensive), former Ravens player Jim Leonhard, and former Ravens position coaches Anthony Weaver and Dennard Wilson. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti’s recent criticisms of Harbaugh’s staff suggests that he won’t stand in the way of many assistants following their old boss to East Rutherford.
The list of in-house assistants who could be options to be retained is headed by outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen — who was impressive as interim defensive coordinator and is on the Cowboys’ radar as a play-caller — and offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo.
SNY reported that Harbaugh — prior to accepting the job — contacted positional coaches from former head coach Brian Daboll’s staff with whom he had no previous relationship to pick their brains on the roster for more than 30 minutes at a time. But not all of the assistants received such calls, sources told The Post.
The external consternation that general manager Joe Schoen was going to be a roadblock to landing Harbaugh never came to fruition.
What remains unclear is if Schoen — who stressed a collaborative decision-making process throughout his time with Daboll — surrendered final say over the roster to Harbaugh, as is common when a coach of his stature is being pursued. It also is unknown if Schoen received a contract extension or is a lame duck in 2026, with current or former Baltimore executives looming over his shoulder.
The Giants always have employed a structure where the coach coaches and the general manager oversees the roster, but owning the second-worst record in the NFL over the last three years of Schoen’s four-year watch calls for times to change. Either way, it’s a win in a high-stakes game that Schoen could not afford to lose in the eyes of the fan base.
Multiple league sources compared Schoen staying put to incumbent Bears general manager Ryan Poles handing over some power to Ben Johnson last offseason when Johnson had all the leverage in negotiations.
“If you want to get somebody that’s a difference-maker, you have to give them a piece of the control,” one longtime successful NFL head coach told The Post. “I believe that. It’s not about ego. It’s about utilizing what you have earned in your years and being given the responsibility to take advantage of that experience without interference. Not a 51 percent vote over you.”
The Giants also interviewed former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, former Falcons and Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris, former Raiders head coach and Giants great Antonio Pierce, and former Packers/Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy in person.
But the buzz throughout the season that Harbaugh was on the hot seat had the Giants researched and skillfully ready to pounce when he was fired Jan. 6 after the Ravens finished with a losing record for just the third time in his 18-year tenure.
The fired Daboll and the departed Wink Martindale — who spent a decade on Harbaugh’s staff and two years in an explosive partnership with Daboll — spoke highly of the Giants’ ownership and operation to Harbaugh.
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